Willis, the King of Kings, the Quintessence of Cat, the Love of my Life, my Son, my Boy, my Soulmate. There is no greater love than what we shared.
He was brought to me in a paper sack in Fall 1999, liberated from the local “humane” society before they could kill him and two other gorgeous kittens. I bottle fed him as he grew into the most “beautiful boy” I have ever been blessed to know. He taught me the meaning of love, loyalty, and friendship.
Thank you Alafair for the lovely videos of Willis.This is a fitting tribute to a God and Angel in black fur, a gift from the universe that has blessed my life and filled me with light and love amidst a dark and empty void. I love you Willis, you will live in my heart and soul until the day I die, and the best of me dies with you. I will never forget you.
Alternate links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ape2Wy0F-qU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk-7dUNLkTc&feature=relmfu
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4RtEYv6wRX-QjZPbXlmLUlyT3M/edit
http://therightsoftheanimals.blogspot.com/2012/07/willis-cat.html
I’m so sorry for your loss of Willis. Loving my own cats as I do, I couldn’t resist watching the video of him, and was absolutely astonished to see that his markings were almost exactly that same as those of my cat, Sasha, who lived to be 21.5, and whom I had from the time she was barely 2 mos. old… I know just how incredibly painful it is to lose one of our beloved companions, but I take solace in remembering the joy is in having known them and had them in our lives in the first place.
He really is beautiful. My heart is with you.
Thanks for that Steve; I recently lost a Willis and I have two terrific Willets I love dearly all adoptions. Be Well. We Resist!
Sorry for your loss I share your pain, they are so small and yet leave such a big hole.
Dr. Best, I am truly sorry for the loss of your boy, Willis. The bond that animal people share with their companions is magical and wonderously great and comforting. The void that they leave is terribly heartbreaking. We expect to see them in their favorite spot or pop their head around a door looking for us…only to know that they won’t be there. I know I have been there so many times. As a mom to many kitty kids (and a few poochie kids) over the decades (all rescues, some from very bad situations), I know that each has a very distinct personality and can never be replaced. I have observed and learned much from their interactions with each other and with me, fine tuning my communications skills with them in the process. By sharing my life with non-human companions, I have also learned a great deal about humans, much of it unfortunately, not so nice. Again, my sincere condolences to you for your loss.
I am so sorry for the loss of Willis~ he was and is beautiful
I’m so very sorry for your loss…there’s an old Irish proverb that says ” Never trust anyone who doesn’t like cats”…I think you were both blessed that day he turned up on your doorstep & am so happy he got to live a long,full & wonderful life with you. My deepest sympathy ❤
I too have a cat that looks like Willis. I have 8 cats now. As my sister has pointed out to me on several occasions-“there is a fine line between pet ownership and hoarding” After your heartache subsides just go to the shelter and give another cat a chance- you know you won’t regret it. Sorry for your loss
So sorry Steve, for your pain, Love and Light for you and for Willis’s beautiful spirit that will always connected to yours forever..xxx Alafair, wonderful tribute video, captured him beautifully..
Sorrow fills a barren space…you close your eyes and see my face
and think of times I made you laugh…the love we shared the bond we had.
The special way I needed you…the friendship shared by just we two.
My pain and suffering came to an end…so don’t cry for me my person…my FRIEND
I’m in heaven and I watch you
and I see the world around you too
And though our bond can’t be broken apart
make room for another in your home and your loving heart…
I am sorry for your loss.
It goes without saying that Willis had a wonderful life as your companion. As such, he was one of the lucky ones. He is free now.
I am truly saddened for your loss…
My most heartfelt condolences Dr. Best. Thank you for giving him all that he deserved…your love, your respect and your true friendship ❤
Willis could not have chosen a better Dad. How blessed he was. You have absorbed his beauty, grace, strength and light Steve – wonderful Willis lives on in you. I am so very sorry your child had to leave.
“Death is liberator of him whom freedom cannot release, the physician of him whom medicine cannot cure, the comforter of him whom time cannot console”.
~ Charles Caleb Colton.
Thinking of you.
So very sorry for your loss, Steve. Cheryl Ananda
So sorry to hear about Willis … It´s going to be a year since my dearest friend left me, he was a couple of months years old when he was taken to me after been rescued in the street. He was always so special, so different, always meowing, letting know people that he was around, greeting every person that came home. He travelled with me to every place, we were both original from Uruguay, we lived in Memphis, TN; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina. We spent almost 20 years together … he knew me more than anybody … we had a special bond and i´m sure i will meet with him again sometime in the future … in another life … for another journey as you will do with Willis … My deepest condolences Dr. Best. Only time will ease the pain.
Willis was so very lucky to happen across you and get to stay, for good, till the end. Imagine never having the chance to know him and love and care for him and have his love in return. We love them so much, even when they’re little hellions. My dogs often make me crazy, but all it takes is a look into their sweet eyes and all’s forgiven. If there’s a Heaven (and I believe so), you and Willis and everyone else you loved will be together again. Love is the key. There’s no place in any Heaven for sadists who prey on innocence. Sadists love nothing and no one, they don’t even know what love is. Wishing you strength and healing from this loss of that wonderful little companion.
Dr. Best, we are all with you and share your sorrow. One of my former feline little brothers, after traveling with me literally around the world for 2 years gave me the deepest teachings about commitment to AR and undeniable sentience of the more-than-human world as he stood up placing his head against mine on the night he passed away at 11 years old. That transmission was one of the most profound of my life. I am extremely blessed to have an equally royal companion now whose soul is deeply connected to mine. Know that Willis will never be far from you.
All respects and blessings
The loss of a companion in life is difficult but one we must learn to accept. Death embraces all life and we are a small part of that. A dog in our house is going blind (we feel) from age (he is 13 in human years) and we fret his inevitable demise.
A lovely poem about the lost companion is by Robinson Jeffers titled, ‘The House-Dog’s Grave’ and ends with:
‘You were never masters, but friends. I was your friend.
I loved you well, and was loved. Deep love endures
To the end and far past the end. If this is my end,
I am not lonely. I am not afraid. I am still yours.’
Steve: Willis is still with you.
brian
dearest Dr Best
no words can help . the void is there, that big hole in the ground you need to stare into for a while.
each of them come into our lives to save us from the drabness of this world and reinforce our connection to the truth, but some of them are especially special because of that feeling of having been together before. the pictures of Willis in the tree are a vision to be held close to the heart.
grieve the loss and rejoice in the knowledge that it was an honor to have him with you. they never leave our side even when it feels like they’re gone. You will be reunited somehow somewhere. and in every creature you fight for, there’s a sparkle of Willis’ eyes.
all my understanding and true affection.
xxx
I know what you feel so well, one of my most beloved ones has been shot by a hunter , never get over that ! 😦 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UJXPkRMe4I&feature=related
I am so very sorry Steve, my heart aches with you & for you … Willis goodbye, be happy, content, at peace & well on the other side … you will see your dad again … Beautiful Boy forever! (((hugs))) xxx
Dr. Best,
The very,very deep love and respect that you have for Willis he also has for you in both of your noble spirits and souls forever.
I am so sorry. He IS a beautiful boy.
I feel with you and I understand how it feels to lose a committed and trustful friend. Thank you for sharing the poetic eulogy.
The cat love of my life was Lizzy, who died two years ago.
http://mato48.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/when-lizzy-died/
http://mato48.wordpress.com/category/matos-cats/
https://picasaweb.google.com/101060359864544051904/RememberingLizzy
I am profoundly sorry for your loss…..nothing and nobody is able to comfort, or console you at a time like this……..only your other cat-s reminds you that you must carry on, they too are grieving with you.
My love and arm around your shoulder……
What a beautiful video. Tears falling.
Dear Dr. Best, I’m so sorry for your loss. I, too, have a sweetheart of a cat, Chloe, and she is my family, as Willis was yours. You and Willis are in my heart and prayers.
Dear Dr. Best, heartfelt condolences on your loss. I’d wager that everyone who regularly visits this site knows what you are going through and deeply sympathizes. It may not be much, but the fellowship of suffering means you are not traveling alone through this dark night. And it will get better. Pete
Tears for Willis’ passing. So very sorry for your loss, Steve Best. No words can ease the pain or fill the emptiness you must be feeling; but know this – you are not alone. We understand the depth of love and devotion you shared with Willis and we share his loss with you in our hearts. WIllis is at peace now, no longer suffering, and he is patiently waiting for you to join him. When you two reunite it is going to be glorious. Let this happy anticipation of a wonderful reunion carry you through this mourning period. Willis is now an angel with wings and he is watching over you. Hugs to you from South Africa, dearest Steve.
Willis crossed over the rainbow. Peace, little fellow!
He’s waiting for you.
I’m very sorry, but it’s true that Maureen has said: he’s waiting for you
I feel your loss and your pain. May you be comforted knowing that you, with Willis,
spread so much hope throughout the world. You are loved, Steve, and I am so happy you had those wonderful years with Willis.
Allways so hard to lose a beloved furry family member. I am so very sorry for your loss of such a beautiful cat and wonderful soul. Angels have wrapped their wings around Willis and taken him home. Very sorry for the pain you are going thru. Purrss….
Steve,
My sorrow for your loss of your beloved Willis. Exquisitely fitting eulogy to Willis. We need more fathers like you.Our own Sylvester, whose breeding markings were not suitable for a bred cat was dumped at a shelter, and close to the end of his life was brought to us by my daughter. He walked out of his carrier and into our hearts and souls. After losing his life to kidney failure, he continues to walk by my side even now. These infinitely godly and precious beings change us by their mere presence and alter our state of mind and heart forever.
I share your loss and pain…the loss of your angel boy, Wllis touches all our hearts.
I understand I have this special bond with my boy my dog Napoleon bless them 🙂
A beautiful tribute to a beautiful boy.
The emptiness, the permanency of such a loss is so difficult to grasp.
The best we can do is continue to love, remember and cherish ever moment we had.
Go gentle with yourself.
Thank you everyone who took the time to send warm wishes, love, and prayers to Willis and I, and for sharing your own moving stories of loss, sadness, and grief. This is the price we pay for love, and as bad as the pain of burying a loved one is, we all know it is worth it, for two lives were blessed in every case. Your kind words comforted me in some very dark hours. Willis had feline leukemia, a horrible and evil disease. He fought like a champion and would not leave me on his own accord, despite my express wishes conveyed to him that he pass, end his suffering, and rest. I finally had to take his sword myself, and watch him draw his last breath on the euthanasia table at the vet’s office.
I brought my son home, walked him around the fields of glory one last time, and buried him under his favorite tree, which he could climb a mile high and dance like a butterfly as the top branches bore his weight and Willis’ head bounced in and out of the clouds. In good time, he will be taken up into the roots of the tree and once again be as strong and mighty as he was before stricken by cancer.
After intense grieving, we move on, don’t we? Broken, bruised, hobbled, forlorn, inconsolable, but beyond the shock, horror, the pain of witness, and the raging river of tears — all chewed up, spit out, processed and reprocessed.
But all it takes is to mention our loved one’s name, or to see a picture of their regal beauty, and it can all flood forward instantly, overwhelming the frail will and weak mind. That is love.
Willis and I loved each other soulfully every day; for 14 years, from cradle to grave, we were inseparable. I am so grateful for what I could give him, and what he in turn gave me. I suspect I got the better end of the bargain.
I wish I had a Rainbow Bridge to believe in, I don’t. All I have is my son deep in the ground, wrapped in my favorite shirt, hopefully to be embedded in every fiber, root, shoot, and molecule of the towering tree and rhizomatic branches.
He does not live in the skies, clouds, or heavens, he is not waiting by a bridge covered with ribbons. Not in my mind at least. He is in the ground, here with me, decomposing, and he lives in my heart, joy, memories, and pain.
There are few times I wish I were wrong, but this is one of them. I just don’t see a happy ending in a world ruled by hate, violence, sadism, sickness, cruelty, and dominated by a sociopathic species, Homo rapiens. If there is a God, it appears to be Deus Abscondus, who walked off to build a better world after botching this one badly.
I keep getting up at night thinking I need to take care of Willis. I have the compulsion to go to the store and find something he might eat. I hear his cry down the hallway and I see his shadow pass. I catch occasional whiff’s of his dying body, but find it soothing something is still left of him I can sense in some physical way. I can’t leave the house for 10 minutes without thinking I need to turn back to check on him. I expect him to walk through the door any moment now.
It has been a long 6 months of caring for him, trying every standard and alternative treatment I could find, and ensuring he got every last soothing breath, soft bite of food, crispy wet walk in the morning sunlit fields and cool moonlit nights that he had coming to him.
My heart is broken, but so richer and deeper for having Willis grace my life.
Thank you all so much again.
I truly appreciate your care, compassion, and wisdom. Love to all your quadrupedal babies. Love them now and always, before time separates you.
Steve
Thank YOU Steve, for sharing your grief ( i am not able to do so)….it is so much easier to share joy. I am very thankful that you share the beauty and Love you have for Willis, too.
Something you can believe, is that in every leaf and trunk of Willis favorite Tree where he is buried, he lives on there, he is part of that Tree now……
All my Love
Hi Steve,
I share your deep pain, I lost my dog two years ago and today I found out that my little boy, my teacher, the love of my life, Nikita, was diagnosed with lymphoma. He is the reason I became vegan and the reason I started my humanitarian and animal rights organization. He is the 9 lb furry little dog who changed my life, who opened my heart to feel th pain of others. The pain I’m felling today is unbearable and I’m not sure how I will handle the coming months,but I will try as best as I can to spend every moment available to me, with him.
Thank you for sharing your pain with us and thank you for your compassion.
I don’t know if I will see you in Luxemberg, but if I don’t I wish you strength.
Sincerely,
Anteneh Roba
(IFA)
So sorry to hear this, there is a difficult road ahead, I walked it everyday, all the time, for 6 months. Be there in total presence. I shall indeed see you in Lux my friend, bless you and your teacher, if you want to talk, you know how to reach me. Steve
I am so sorry to hear of your heartbreaking loss. There are never any words the help the healing go any faster – It’s always in the hands of time…
I hope you find a way to put the memories of Willis in a very safe place so that his life will remind you of the love you shared.
Dear Sweet Willis – Thank you for bringing so much joy to this otherwise sad world… You made a difference to those who matter. ❤